Rethinking the Global Food System: Novel Foods for Agriculture and Sustainability
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“I grew up in India in the ‘70s and ‘80s when there was a shortage of food, and as you may all know, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that we have not met the milestones required for both hunger and nutrition. I grew up in times when we were trying to make enough calories because that was the need of the hour in the ‘60s and ‘70s. All along in Asia and Southeast Asia, the idea was “Let’s make more calories,” but today, there is a need for nutrition as well.”
These were the words of Dr. Amit Dhingra, Chief Science Officer at Moolec, during the latest webinar of ISAAA titled Plate of the Future: Nutritious and Sustainable Novel Foods held on January 30, 2025, via Zoom. The growing global population, coupled with the increasing demand for nutritious and sustainable food sources, has intensified the need for innovation in agriculture and food production. Today, where climate change, resource depletion, and food scarcity pose critical concerns, novel foods play a crucial role in ensuring a resilient and efficient food system.
What are novel foods?
Citing the definition of the European Commission, Director Fides Marciana Z. Tambalo of the University of the Philippines Los Baños - National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UPLB-BIOTECH) explained that novel foods are foods that have no significant history of consumption, or foods produced by a method that has not previously been used. Some examples of novel foods include chia seeds, noni fruit juice, exotic fruits, herbs and nuts, some kinds of tea, leaves, insects, and exotic animals.
Dir. Tambalo said that novel foods are food products, including ingredients, that have been newly created through innovative means; items produced using advanced technologies and production methods; and traditionally consumed in regions outside of the local area. She said that biotechnology, through recombinant DNA or genetic modification and microbial fermentation, among others, has been applied to the development of novel foods. Biotechnology can produce novel foods and apply relatively novel processes to produce or improve existing foods.
Molecular farming, as defined by Bright Green Partners (BGP), transforms ordinary plants and food into biofactories or bioreactors that can produce beneficial proteins, pharmaceuticals, or biochemicals. Dr. Dhingra said that molecular farming is not new per se. It is plant biotechnology where you engineer different foreign proteins into the plant and it is a cost-effective way to produce alternative proteins. Some products of molecular farming include plant-based milk alternatives, biomanufacturing of cultivated meat industry to come up with more sustainable meat production, and GM soybean plants with pig protein, also known as Piggy Sooy of Moolec.
Moolec Science is a science-based food ingredient company focusing on the use of molecular farming technology. The company develops an array of products and science-based food ingredients and supplements, including Textured Soy Protein (TSP) ValorasoyTM, a soy-based ingredient for hamburgers, sausages, meatballs, and other plant-based products. Other meat replacement products are Piggy Sooy and PEEA1, which are plant and animal science-based highly functional meat replacement ingredients containing soybean and porcine proteins and pea and bovine proteins, respectively. Moolec is the first molecular farming company to achieve the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA ) approval for plant-grown animal proteins.
Do we need novel foods?
Dir. Tambalo cited several economic and environmental impacts and food security contributions of novel foods to agriculture and sustainability. She said that novel foods could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, offer high investment opportunities, and address global malnutrition and food scarcity by providing affordable and nutritious alternatives. Dir. Tambalo said that it also offers targeted food options that are high in protein, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. Novel foods can also cater to different dietary needs like gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Dr. Dhingra said that we cannot keep growing crops using traditional methods if we are to maintain food security and access to nutrition for the masses. “In the extremes of climatic conditions and the demand that comes with growing population, we need to come up with approaches that complement and supplement our current food supply,” Dr. Dhingra said.
“Anything novel does not come without resistance,” Dir. Tambalo said. Food neophobia, lack of awareness, and misconceptions about laboratory-produced or genetically modified foods contribute to consumer resistance. Dir. Tambalo said that molecular farming will be revolutionary, but traditional methods will still have space in the market. However, it should also be noted that the global population is continuously increasing. “We need sustainable approaches to keep up with the growing population in the Philippines,” Dir. Tambalo said.
“People assume that just because we developed a new product, it will replace the old. It will never happen that way,” Dr. Dhingra said. Just like any other technologies, there will be farmers who will be quick to adopt new technologies, and there will be some who will continue to do what they do. “We need to have a diverse portfolio of our food production to meet the needs and everybody has the right to consume. The big part is that we have to produce alternatives so that we create sustainable solutions,” Dr. Dhingra reiterated.
Dir. Tambalo said that strong regulatory frameworks, public awareness campaigns, and incentivizing research and innovation will greatly contribute to the advancement of novel foods in the Philippines. The team from UPLB-BIOTECH further explained their policy recommendations for novel foods in the policy brief titled The Potential of Novel Foods in Addressing Food Security in the Philippines published by ISAAA Inc. in September 2024.
Plate of the Future: Nutritious and Sustainable Novel Foods is part of the webinar series, in collaboration with the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA Biotech Program), on an array of topics about new and emerging technologies in agri-biotechnology in the global and Philippine context.
Watch the recorded webinar on the ISAAA Webinars page and YouTube. Subscribe to Biotech Updates to stay updated with ISAAA’s upcoming webinars.
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